I have gotten further into my nursing and finally start the program in fall, its getting harder to relate to my friends I have now. They don't understand what I'm doing and don't really take interest in what I'm doing in my life as far as a career. I take interest in my friends lives and try to support them in what they do but I dont get that feeling back. So I guess where I'm getting at is I had many nurses tell me they have met some of their best friends when they were in nursing school and there is a different kind of bond within some of their friendships. Do any of you feel like you have met some of your best friends in school, or have any of you experienced growing apart from friends you had before school because interest have changed? I guess besides my family and my boyfriend I feel like I have no one to share my experiences with, I kinda feel alone and just sometimes wish I had some friends that I could share all this stuff with and they would be just as happy as I am. So overall if I could have some insight from some of you about your experiences I guess I would like to know...
How was your relationship with current friends during nursing school?
Did you meet any long term friends in nursing school?
Did you lose any friends while in school?
Did you find your friends supportive or not really caring too much?
If you would like to share anything else it would be appreciated!
I haven't began nursing school as of yet (I also start this August) but I can tell you even through my pre requisites I have lost friends. I put so much time in my sciences to get the best grades possible and I had friends that didn't understand how hard it was to manage time between keeping up with family, a bf, and those friends. I have drifted a part with a friend that I've been friends with since grade school. I it's like everyone wanted a piece of me to spend time with !! It is sad to drift a part. I've made some new friends as well that are in the same field who do understand. I hope to make other friends but, if I don't then that's just how life goes.
I don't really get a chance to talk to a lot of my girlfriends because of nursing school BUT, when we do talk, its a sense of relaxation, fun, girl talk, and games. I am around the same girls every single day and for about 6 hours a day and sometimes, I just need to talk to and chill with one of my old and true friends.
I've met 2 girls in my class that I could see myself talking to for a long time BUT, IDK how me and one of the girl's relationship is going to be after a very immature and uncalled incident that happened at my clinical site today.
I haven't lost any of my friends outside of nursing school, majority of my friends are in nursing school, some are nurses, and some are working on it.
My friends are very supportive. We are all in school and supportive of one another.
When you move up in the world, you will always have haters and have people who will think that you've changed and will say that you will think that you are better than them when that is not the case. As you are moving up, you can no longer act the same way and or hang with SOME of the same people that you used to hang with, you have to surround yourself with positive and supportive people. So keep your head up and always remember that friends will come and go but your true friends are always around :)
I haven't lost friends, but sometimes I feel like I drift away from them because I'm so busy with school and clinicals. At the same time, my friends are drifting away from me because I am single and have no kids and a lot of my friends are starting to get married and have kids. Life happens, and you will drift away from people and gain new friends at the same time. I would definitely say that I've met some of the best friends I have in nursing school, because we all know exactly what the other one is going through. I think that's the best support to have. The people that don't support you or try to act like they aren't interested are probably just jealous that you are going to have an awesome career while they are still working dead-end jobs.
I'm just finishing my first quarter of nursing school & can see potential for strong friendships with a few of my classmates. I tend to be kind of private and slow to open up, so part of me was worried that everyone would have jelled into cliques by the time I was comfortable enough to talk to people. So far everyone still seems to be open, but I think we're getting to the stage where people may drop out or fail out
All depends on how deep the bond and friendship runs. If your friendship solely depends on having an externally good time together, that is different than if your friendship runs deeper than that, or deeper than your diverging career choices. Some of my closest friends and I see each other once or twice a year but when we do, we pick right up where we left off.
I lost a lot (not all!) of my non nursing friends after I became a nurse. They just didnt get the things i was going through and I was not understanding them as much. When I say I had a bad/stressful day, a patient probably coded and died. When they say they had a bad day, they spilled coffee on themselves. Our stressors just didnt equate anymore and i would get frustrated listening to them vent about what seemed like silly and incomparable things to what I was going through. we just grew apart. Of course not all of
My pre-nursing friendships ended, but I was surprised at the number of them that did fizzle out. Although I'm pretty sure the whole night shift thing killed my social life in general haha
Nursing school is very structured, there is little time for family let alone friends. The mere schedule doesnt allow much time to socialize and that alone is one reason non nursing friendships often go down hill! Hopefully those friendships can pick up again over breaks or after school ends
I think it's like any major life change....you tend to drift away from the friends who are in a different place....most friendships have a season....the few strongest bonds can survive.
I was 20 when I got married...we were the first of our group of friends to get married.....then we had our first child the next year...most of our friends still weren't married....they were still in the going out all the time partying stage....we drifted away from them....but ended up with new couple friends...I found new friends with kids who "got it". I went back to school....I have drifted away from a few of the mom friends I had made....who I mainly hung out with at playdates with our kids....my kids are in school all day and I am swamped with school....we don't really do play dates anymore....
I have a feeling I will be mostly antisocial once I start nursing school in january.....I have to make time for my husband and kids...and don't have time to just go out all the time....but thats ok....I anticipate making friends with my classmates...I'm glad I am in a fairly small group (25 accepted for our class).....I think that makes it easier to get to know everyone....and sharing so much of our lives we are bound to bond.
SOOOOO all that to say....there are seasons in life....some friends weather those seasons...and some friends were meant to be there through a certain point of your life....not everyone will "get" what you are going through.....they will either be patient and be there when you finish...and be supportive along the way....or they will move on...and thats ok....not every friendship was meant to be for life.....
I had a very different background before embarking on this path. I lost touch with many of my "old" friends along the way as they had all done "the college thing" right after high school. I didn't start until my 30's when all my friends were established in their careers, families, and hobbies. There's only a couple I see every several months, if that! And while everybody in my program is awesome and I feel like we're all bonding pretty well, I can't help but feel self conscious because I am almost old enough to have fathered more than half of them. Also having had many varied experiences in life prior to this threatens to make me "the annoying guy who's got a story for everything." It becomes tiresome to follow up these stories with the disclaimer, "It's just because I've lived a lot longer than you guys..." I don't mean to sound as if I am complaining, because I am not. I really enjoy my fellow classmates, I am just not confident in the quality of the friendships I can expect to form with them as they are all at similar places in their lives, and similar ages. The only commonality we share is being in nursing school together. It's a bit lonely, but I try not to focus on that.
The only friends I've lost since starting school were the fair weather friends. Maybe it's because I'm older, have a family and other responsibilities? Whatever the issue was it wasn't on me to rearrange my life to suit them.
I have a long time friend that I am still extremely close to. We've been friends for 18 years. She may not have the same responsibilities as I do but she never guilts me for putting school and kids first.
I'm sure il meet new people along the way. But I'm in school to learn. Making friends would be only a happy coincidence.
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Lyricalluna
100 Posts
I haven't began nursing school as of yet (I also start this August) but I can tell you even through my pre requisites I have lost friends. I put so much time in my sciences to get the best grades possible and I had friends that didn't understand how hard it was to manage time between keeping up with family, a bf, and those friends. I have drifted a part with a friend that I've been friends with since grade school. I it's like everyone wanted a piece of me to spend time with !! It is sad to drift a part. I've made some new friends as well that are in the same field who do understand. I hope to make other friends but, if I don't then that's just how life goes.